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Final Fantasy VI: The Sands of Time

Book 1: The Begininng

Chapter 8 - Dream's End

Part 8.9 - Into the Jaws of Madness

Draco was appalled at the transformation of the once beautiful city below him. He had only enjoyed the paradise of Narsille for a short time, but in that time he had realized there was no other place on the planet that could compare. The wondrous technology, the extravagance, the majesty, and more than anything else, the absolute peace of the city had deeply moved Draco. Even if he distrusted the people who ruled this nation, he envied their accomplishment. As the new ruler of West Jidorik, Draco had hoped that one day his humble country could reach the pinnacle of civilization Narsille had attained.

But now that dream was gone. As he soared above the collapsing city in the arms of Genju, he watched with a heavy heart the fate that had befallen the city of his dreams. Flames, wreckage, and bodies filled the once immaculately organized streets, now cracked and twisted from the earthquake. A persistent red glow rising from beneath the ground had taken the place of the welcoming electric aura that had lit the entire city only a few hours ago. The glittering blue towers that had been the envy of the world were now soot-stained and rapidly deteriorating under the pressures of a combined disaster unlike anything the architects could have predicted. And worst of all, even from his height Draco could still hear the wails of a dying populace trapped in the ruins far below. There were people down there, countless scores of them, and there was nothing he could do to save them now. He had never felt less like a great war hero than now.

There was one person he was determined to save from this hellish den of demons, though. Kite, such a poor mistreated girl, had been taken from right under his protection and was now being transported back into the clutches of her former master, Levi, now the beast Leviathan. Draco had learned of the girl's miserable life on Levi's ship, and instantly warmed to her courage and spirit. To be freed from such evil bondage only to return to it was a fate Draco's noble heart couldn't bear. He would make that monster pay, no matter how powerful he had become. If he was still a creature of flesh, then that flesh could be pierced, and there was no finer blade than Draco's Scion.

"Such carnage," Genju's weary voice said from above Draco, turning him from his reverie. "I had hoped to never again see the ravages of an Esper war in my lifetime." Genju looked down at Draco with a cold look in his ancient eyes. "Look well, human, and burn this image into your memory and the memories of your children, lest you forget the price of magic like your foolish ancestors."

Genju and Draco remained silent as they flew through the darkening skies in pursuit of the strange Esper that had spirited Kite away. Genju's protective barrier shielded them from the relentless force of the storm, and his powerful wings carried them towards their target with a speed Draco had never suspected the ancient being possessed.

And yet, it seemed the ghost-like Esper moved just as fast, shimmering ahead of them like a mirage. Draco could only faintly discern the murky outline of the Esper as it sped through the air, but Genju seemed to be able to follow its trail as well as the infamous Red Fangs from his homeland. And Kite was somewhere in the jaws of that deathly mist.

"Look," Genju said quietly as they passed over the center of the city.

"That's...!" Draco gasped, recognizing the area despite the transformation. It was the former location of the Committee headquarters, now a yawning pit of fire. Several of the surrounding mythril towers had toppled into the flames, and were slowly being eaten away by the voracious maw.

"The mark of Moloch, the Master of Fire." Genju finished. "There will be others very soon. If no one stops him, the entire region will be buried in his flames, and there will be nothing left but ash."

"We will stop him." Draco said defiantly.

Genju said nothing, but shook his head sadly and continued past the scene of the Committee's demise. They were only a few meters away from Kite's kidnapper now, and Draco had unsheathed his sword. Soon he would be close enough to strike, and he would see just how ghost-like this Esper was.

"Draco, do not attack until I am close enough to enfold our foe in my barrier," Genju said as they approached the nearly invisible Esper. "My barrier should dispel his magic, and force him to show himself."

Draco nodded, and gripped his sword with both hands. Soon...

The cloudy form seemed to sense their approach, and quickly veered away from them, spreading out in all directions. It flowed around Genju's barrier and tried to trap the two in a barrier of its own. For a moment, everything went black as the cloud thickened into an impenetrable sphere of darkness. Draco felt his body grow heavy as if his armor had doubled in weight, and feared Genju would not be able to hold him. Something in the strange black sphere was greatly increasing his weight, threatening to drag him down into the chaos of Narsille's streets far below.

"Do not worry, the holy power of my barrier will break this foul trap," Genju said calmly. "Be ready to strike."

Genju spread his two free hands outwards, and extended his barrier to collide with the black cloud. Bright light mixed with the opposing energy and tore large holes in its surface like rays of sunlight piercing the darkness. The cloud form hissed in pain as the black energy dissolved away, leaving only the Esper's exposed body hovering right in front of them. Kite was wrapped securely in the folds of his filthy rags.

Draco wasted no time taking advantage of this opening. He reflexively swung at the Esper as soon as it had appeared, instinctively adjusting his aim to avoid harming Kite. The Scion hummed through the air and slashed at an exposed arm, severing it from the creature's body. The ghastly white limb fell through the air for a brief second, then vanished into smoke. Black mist seeped out from where the arm had been.

A strangled howl of pain echoed from deep inside the featureless void where the Esper's face should have been, then stopped. The two red coals of its eyes flared in anger, but the Esper remained maddeningly silent. Draco raised his sword for a second blow, aimed at its head, but it shot towards the nearest tower instead, renewing the chase.

"That sword is no ordinary blade, my friend," Genju said with admiration, looking at Draco's crystalline Scion curiously as he swooped down toward where the wounded Esper had fled. "To wound an Esper so easily, there must be magic in the forging of that weapon."

"It is a family heirloom, passed down through the Christophe line for generations. I know not its origins." Draco said, wondering himself at the true history of his trusted blade. He had always known that the Scion was a mighty blade with no equal, but he had never suspected it was magic. Of course, he had never suspected there was such a thing as magic to begin with. And now, he was plunging head first into a world of magic.

The two followed their prey down to the roof of the mythril tower, prepared to finish him off. No sooner had they reached safe ground than the air shook with the powerful vibration of a nearby thunderbolt. The flash blinded them long enough for the enemy Esper to retreat to the far corner of the building's roof. Kite was fighting furiously in his weakened grasp, but she was still no match for the magic binding her.

Another brilliant blast of lightning shook the tower, sending Genju and Draco sprawling for cover at the opposite end of the tower. It seemed the storm itself was coming to the aid of their foe.

Genju stood up and walked straight toward the center of the tower. He stopped and looked straight up into the sky.

"Show yourself, demon of Astarte!" Genju commanded.

Knowing the game was up, the great serpent form of Leviathan slithered down from the clouds above, a huge grin on his viper's face. He settled himself near his fellow Esper, barring any further attack.

"Very well, old man," Leviathan said casually, still smiling. "You have attacked my emissary, Phantom, and you will have to be punished for such rudeness." Leviathan's magical eye crackled with barely contained electric energy as he stared at Genju and Draco.

"Master...I have her..." Phantom rasped from his corner.

Leviathan turned his head towards his ally as fast as a whip crack, focusing his great eye on the prize still struggling in Phantom's grip. His toothy smile widened at the sight of the last surviving member of his ill-fated crew.

"Good!" Leviathan cackled. "Bring her here. I want these two to watch."

Phantom obeyed his master and glided to where Leviathan's massive form rested, curled like a snake waiting to strike. He let go of Kite and wafted back to a respectful distance from his master. Kite started to run, but Leviathan's tail snatched her off the ground before she could even move one step.

"Kite, Kite, Kite..." Leviathan crooned. "Did you really think you could escape me? You know better than anyone that I never let go of what is mine. And you are still mine, my sweet little kitten."

"No! Never! Let me go! I won't go back! Let...me...GO!" Kite screamed, her voice rising frantically higher with each gasped word. This was worse than her worst nightmare, and the longer she looked into those monstrous eyes, the more tenuous her hold on her own sanity became. The things Captain Jonah Levi had done to her were horrible. The things this Leviathan might do were far too black to be imagined. Kite continued screaming, well past the point of hysteria.

"Let her go, you fiend!" Draco yelled. He had his sword in hand, and was quickly advancing towards where Genju stood. Genju stretched one of his great white wings out to block Draco's path.

"What are you doing?" Draco raged. "Let me pass! I'll cut her free or die trying!"

"Be still, Draco," Genju said. "You could strike him a hundred times and do no more damage than a knife against a mighty oak. That sword of yours may be able to cut him, but in mere human hands such as yours it would still never be enough to rescue the girl, let alone slay the beast. Be patient."

"Argh..." Draco growled, staring at Leviathan with impotent fury.

Leviathan roared in amusement at Draco's and Kite's futile struggles. "Listen to him, little man. My scales are far tougher than my slave's rotten flesh. Your toy sword won't save this one. Only I can save her now."

Leviathan turned his gaze back to Kite, who was still struggling like a wild animal. Sweat covered her brow and her eyes were glazed over in pure terror. Leviathan widened his grin and moved his massive face closer to Kite. He opened his mouth as if to swallow her whole just as the tip of his snout reached her forehead. His hot, damp breath washed over the poor girl's face, and her last ounce of willpower finally fell apart. With a hoarse cry, Kite's eyes rolled back into her head and she fainted dead away, overcome by the thought of being literally devoured by the great monster of her life.

Seeing his handiwork, Leviathan pulled his face away from Kite's, laughing as he shut his mouth. He loosened his grip on Kite's body, letting her fall to the ground in a heap.

"Now my precious pet, come to me. Come and serve your lord and master once again, now and forever!"

Genju and Draco watched helplessly as Leviathan turned his black eye on Kite. Tiny bolts of lightning coursed across the empty orb, leaping in a graceful arc onto Kite's body. The current flowed outwards and over her, forming a cocoon of electricity that veiled her body in light.

"What is he doing to her?" Draco said through gritted teeth. He didn't think he could stand by and watch this much longer.

"I see..." Genju said, watching Leviathan's strange actions carefully. "This is how the Vessels are creating more Espers. They use their own bodies as magical conduits to transfer the power of their Master into their victims. It is a horrifying perversion of the Nexus's powers..."

"Enough!" Draco shouted, pushing Genju's wing down. "I'll attack while he's distracted. You can stay here and talk if that's what you want!"

Draco nimbly jumped over Genju's wing and rushed at Leviathan's exposed head with all the force he could muster. Genju tried to stop him, but was unprepared for Draco's rash decision. Before he could do anything, Draco had his sword raised above his head and was on his way to what Genju knew would be his certain destruction.

"Hyaah!" With a deadly downward stroke Draco swung his sword into Leviathan's black eye, expecting to blind the monster. Draco watched in slow-motion as his sword arm did not connect with solid flesh, but continued downward into the black hole. The blade was struck by a surge of charged energy swirling in the void, sending a bolt of electricity running up Draco's wildly swinging arm. He was hurled back a dozen meters like a lifeless doll, sparks shooting out from his quivering body. The evil magicks inside Leviathan's eye were electrocuting the foolhardy warrior.

Genju rushed forward and caught Draco before he hit the ground, and for a moment he, too, felt the tremendous flow of energy that had crippled Draco. It was a horrible feeling of deja vu, and Genju knew this was the very same force he had felt coming from Dune before. This was the very same force he himself had succumbed to a thousand years ago, causing his exile.

Genju channeled the vile energy through his body and into his barrier, siphoning the current from both his and Draco's bodies and into the skies above. To Genju's dismay, the current did not weaken, and powerful elemental electricity continued to flow from Leviathan's eye, up the blade of the Scion, and through Draco's and Genju's bodies. A pillar of lightning was rising from Genju's barrier into the clouds, but no matter how much he strengthened the barrier, more energy flowed from the void of the black eye.

"I...I'm sorry, Genju...I was a fool..." Draco stuttered, his body wracked with pain and convulsions.

"What will be, will be, young one," Genju said as he struggled to keep the flow of lightning from consuming them both. "Our fate is in Altimus's hands now."

"LEEEEVIIIII!"

A deafening roar swept over the tower, and with a terrific rush of wind and water a massive blur of bluish-white slammed into Leviathan's body. The mighty serpent was pushed over the edge of the tower and out of sight, breaking the lethal connection with Draco's sword.

"What on earth was that?" Draco gasped, still shaking from the shock.

"We have to leave here. Now!" Genju said, regaining his balance. "The War of the Gods has begun, and we must not be caught in the middle." Genju looked at Draco with eyes full of fear. Draco had never seen fear in the mighty Esper's face before.

"Wha...?" Draco stuttered, but was cut off as Leviathan's deep roar echoed from below. There was another violent collision, and the tower swayed as if struck by a giant hammer.

"That was an Esper of Chemosh!" Genju said frantically. "Do you understand, human? The war has started! Esper against Esper, God against God, and no one will win! We must flee before we're obliterated in their mindless raging! Come!"

Genju grabbed Draco forcefully with all four of his hands and lifted off from the trembling rooftop. Draco protested, but could do nothing against the Esper's strength.

"What about Kite, dammit!" Draco cried, but as he looked to where Kite's body had lain wrapped in light, there was nothing. Both Kite and Phantom were gone.

"Your friend is gone, consumed by the power of Astarte. She will soon join this hopeless battle as a slave to the Goddess's will. I am sorry, but we can do nothing for her now."

"You heartless bastard! Is there any humanity left in you at all!" Draco shouted, but was cut short by a strange sight. The great Esper, Genju the Eldest, was crying.

Draco knew instantly that he had spoken rashly. "I...I'm sorry..."

"Look before you and remember, human," Genju said, his voice choked with emotion as he fled the madness behind them. "Never forget the price of magic. If this world survives, teach your children of this day, and your grandchildren. Such senseless tragedy should never visit the world once, let alone twice. I weep for our wicked souls."